By: Audrey Raymonda John
Retired military officer Lansana Kargbo has been brought before the court on charges of fraud after allegedly misappropriating over one hundred and fifty thousand new Leones entrusted to him for safekeeping. The case was filed by Joseph Yamba Kamara, a civilian, who claims that Kargbo fraudulently converted the money for his own use and benefit.
Kargbo was arraigned in court on a charge of fraudulent conversion, contrary to Section 20(1) of the Larceny Act of 1916.
According to the indictment, Kargbo is accused of fraudulently converting the sum of one hundred and fifty thousand new Leones, which had been entrusted to him by Joseph Yamba Kamara on behalf of Rugiatu Sesay, who resides in the United States. The money was meant to be kept safely between January 1 and December 31, 2024, in Wilberforce, Freetown.
When the charge was read to the defendant, no plea was entered due to the significant amount of money involved.
In his testimony, Joseph Yamba Kamara explained that he is an apprentice and came to know the defendant through Rugiatu Sesay, who lives in the U.S. Kamara recalled that between the stated period, Rugiatu bought a vehicle for transportation purposes and handed it over to him. He added that Rugiatu instructed him to give the defendant a certain sum of money every week for safekeeping so they could later purchase another vehicle.
Kamara testified that every week, he gave Kargbo seven thousand new Leones, which accumulated to a total of one hundred and fifty thousand new Leones. However, Kamara alleged that Kargbo neither purchased the vehicle as promised nor returned the money to them.
Kamara further testified that the matter was reported to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) headquarters in March 2024. The defendant went into hiding until August 2024, when he was eventually arrested. Kamara said he had made a statement to the police during the investigation.
During cross-examination, Kargbo, representing himself, disputed the total sum of money, claiming that only one hundred and forty-three thousand new Leones had been given to him, not one hundred and fifty thousand.
Kargbo was remanded in custody, and the case was adjourned to October 13, 2025, for further proceedings.